Transfers, Thanksgiving, Mission Tour, Interviews, Parties, Christmas...and a Partridge in a Pear Tree

BUSY, BUSY MONTH!!!

First...TRANSFERS...

Our departing missionaries...

Sister Russell (Nevada), Elder Baham (Utah), Elder Skidmore (Idaho), Elder Booth (England), Elder Kolste (Utah), Elder Bohn (Arizona), Elder Rawlings (Utah), Elder Berg (Utah), and Elder Tincher (Utah) left us. We love them and miss them already!
Our new missionaries are Elder Whillans (England), Elder Benthin (Denmark), Sister Morgan (Wales), and Elder O'Brien (England). They're already hard at work, teaching, and even baptizing.

The day after Transfers was Thanksgiving...

with our wonderful couple missionaries...the Longs (office), Karrens (CES), and Cables (CES)...

...the Fells (Church History missionaries) and the Byers (proselyting missionaries).

Wonderful, dedicated, self-sacrificing people!!!

The second week in December, we were privileged to have Elder Texeira (a member of our Area Presidency) come for a mission tour. His instruction to us and to our missionaries was so wonderful, and very helpful. I know all of the missionaries loved being instructed and uplifted by him.

The next week, we had another small group of new missionaries come in. This intermediate transfer was due to the holidays. We received a new couple, the Crandall's from Mesa, and three other missionaries. Elder Cadwallater from California, Sister Nemec from Croatia, and Elder Luu from Washington.

Elder Luu , Elder Cadwallader, Sister Nemec, and the Crandalls from Mesa, Arizona!!!

Any spare minute I've had this month has been spent on planning a Christmas celebration for our missionaries. It was a lot of fun...I hope it helped to make being away from home a littler easier for them.

First...MISSION JEOPARDY with Elder McOmber and Elder Hallows...

Then...a YUMMY DINNER...

...A TALENT SHOW...

Elder Clancy as Emcee

(I had some pipe chimes made so we could continue our family's Christmas Eve tradition.)

What fun and talented young men and women! We finished the evening with a presentation of the Nativity in song and scripture. It was a wonderful time!

MERRY CHRISTMAS FROM THE ENGLAND BIRMINGHAM MISSION!!!!!!!

FUTBOL

This past week, we had our semi-annual football/soccer games.

Our five northern zones played in Leamington Spa, and our three southern zones played in Cardiff---in the shadow of the Cardiff Castle. Since we were in Wales the day before doing interviews, we stayed there and watched the Cardiff, Merthyr Tydfil and Cheltenham Zones play each other. We've decided that next time, we'll do them on different days, so we can see all of the teams (Zones) play. It was a lot of fun...but it was so cold, I felt like a block of ice by the time it was over.

CHELTENHAM ZONE

CARDIFF ZONE

(The loser from the previous tournament wears pink!)

MERTHYR TYDFIL (The Victor!!!)

The Sisters of Cheltenham, Cardiff, and Merthyr Tydfil

In the North end of the mission, the following teams competed:

NOTTINGHAM ZONE

BIRMINGHAM ZONE

LEICESTER ZONE

(Leicester won the 'fashion award'!)

Sadly, no one took a picture of the Coventry or Lichfield Zones all together...and Lichfield was the WINNER!!!
We heard that Elder Pearce (in the tutu) was a big part of the reason that Lichfield won the tournament in the North...apparently they lost last year!

A few pictures of the Coventry players...

This is such a funny picture, because it looks like an Elder has his arm around Sister King. But if you look closely, you can see Sister McGarvey between she and the Elder...Sis. McGarvey has the plain grey hat...the Elder next to her has a patterned hat.

I spent the whole day trying to keep warm!!!

It was a fun day...the missionaries loved a chance to compete in a totally non-competetive way!

(We're not supposed to be competetive in the Mission!!!)

P.S. Elder Wilkins mom emailed me this picture of the WINNING TEAM--Lichfield Zone!!!

FALL

It's so nice to live in a place that actually has seasons. (Well, I'm not sure they have summer...but I don't mind sacrificing that particular season!) We've really been enjoying the changing colors and cool, clear days.

We spent the last week in Zone Conferences. After we went to Cardiff to meet with the Cardiff, Merthyr Tydfil, and Cheltenham Zones, we drove way out to the coast to spend a night in Aberwythswyth. We were speaking to the M.T. Stake Youth Conference. I'd never been to that part of Wales before...its very beautiful.

At Zone Conferences, the Assistants did a great object lesson for the missionaries.

President Ogden may have the keys to the mission...he may steer it...

..but the missionaries determine how "fast" it will go...

We need everyone!


Aberwythswyth, Wales

Two weeks ago, our Wylde Green Ward had a Talent Show as a ward/missionary activity. The Missionaries in the Lichfield Zone provided about half of the musical numbers. We have so many talented missionaries in this mission. It was so much fun to see them perform the beautiful hymns of our church.

OCTOBER TRANSFERS

The TRANSFER of the KEYS...

(Elder Brower to Elder McOmber)

The TRANSFER-ing OUT of our six departing missionaries...

(Pres. and Sis. Ogden, Elders Forbes, Davis, Brower, Rose, and Walker...and Sis. Bannister)

The TRANSFER-ing IN of our seven new missionaries...

Pres. Ogden, Elder Duke (Arkansas), Elder Cyron (Germany), Elder Magpanty (Phillipines and Germany), Sister Bioleome (Africa and Germany), Elder Andersson (Finland), Elder Wang (China), Elder Leung (China), and Sister Ogden.

We always say goodbye to our departing missionaries with a little bit of sadness (well, maybe more than a little bit). We're so proud of them...and happy for their families to have them back...but we will miss them. They're a great group. They've accomplished so much, and have been worthy examples to the younger missionaries.

We're excited to welcome our new missionaries. They're enthusiastic and excited, and all are off to a good start. As you can see, we have a very International group this time!!! Its wonderful!

I have to show off my "girls"...all fifteen of them in the same place.

Sister missionaries from Utah, Nevada, Colorado, Alaska, Holland, Italy, Scotland, Australia, Austria, Africa, Germany, and the Ukraine.

They are AMAZING women!!!

ZONE CONFERENCE AT GADFIELD ELM

For our Zone Conference this transfer, we divided the missionaries in half, and took them on two separate days to Gadfield Elm Chapel--- by way of Benbow Farm and Pond, and Beacon Hill (or British Camp). It was a fun change of pace...I think the missionaries really enjoyed it. Some had been there before, for others it was their first opportunity to be in these places of significance in the history of our church.

Above are the missionaries from the Birmingham, Cheltenham, Cardiff and Merthyr Tydfil Zones. Below are the missionaries from the Lichfield, Coventry, Leicester, and Nottingham Zones. They are standing in front of the Gadfield Elm Chapel, which was a chapel of the United Brethren in the 1830's. They turned it over to the LDS church when all of them had converted. Its the oldest chapel owned by church.

We hiked to the top of Beacon's Hill...some at a little faster pace than others! The view is incredible. This is where an historic meeting took place between Wilford Woodruff, Brigham Young, and Joseph Fielding.

Our assistants did a very interesting object lesson, and may I say, we women were all very proud of Sister Stillman.

We recognized birthdays, clean flats, strangest ailments. Discussed personable accountability. Learned more about the early Welsh and English saints who made the growth of the church possible, both here and in the United States. Ate a picnic lunch, and did lots of socializing and picture taking. It was a full and wonderful day!!!

VISITORS

We had a fun week last week with some special visitors. Bree came to spend a month with us, and one of our Sister missionaries who went home to Sweden a few weeks ago, came back with her parents and sister to visit.

Our missionary is the 2nd from the left...her name is Hanna Blomberg. We enjoyed her parents and her sister, Emily, so much. Fun, delightful people.

Sis. Blomberg (Hanna), Bree, and Emily

Two missionaries who needed to go home mid-transfer to get into school also came to the Mission Home for a farewell dinner...Sister Mitte from Germany, and Elder Dal Pozzo from Italy. We loved having a little time with them before they left. They were both wonderful missionaries!

TRANSFERS---ROUND TWO

This week was our second 'Transfers' experience. A little bigger and a little more involved than last time....this time there were 17 departing missionaries (last time there were 12), and 11 missionaries arriving (last time there were 6). Lots of excitement, lots of fun, lots of cooking for me, lots of prayer, interviews, and contemplation for President Ogden, and lots and lots of organization and just plain old hard work for our office couple, the Longs, and our Assistants, Elder Brower and Elder McOmber.

Our missionaries who have completed their 2 year service, and headed for home, are:

Sister Blomberg (Sweden), Sister Mitte (Germany), Sister Morris (California), Sister Cunha ( California)

Elder Sahlin (Sweden), Elder Larsen (Idaho), Elder Schilling (Germany), Elder Riggs (Utah), Elder Young (Nevada) , Elder Toolson (California), Elder Dixon (Arizona), Elder Batty (England), Elder Kunz (Idaho), Elder Napier (England), Elder Bodily (Utah), Elder Bearnson (Utah)

They are such a wonderful group of missionaries...we're really going to miss them. We know they all have such great potential, and should go on to many wonderful acheivements and adventures. We love them all, wish them much happiness, and thank them for their dedicated service.

Our new missionaries.....

...Sister Layton (Anchorage, Alaska), Elder Anderson (Grace, Idaho), Elder Breuer (Bremen, Germany), Elder Shrubb (Devonshire, England), Elder Pederson (St. George, Utah), Elder Brokatzky (Germany), Elder Mower (South Jordan, Utah), Elder Marks (Amarillo, Texas), Elder Stein (Ludswigburg, Germany), Elder Schmidt (Dresden, East Germany), Sister Strein (Ft. Collins, Colorado)Standing on "the wall" being welcomed by all of our missionaries who came in for Transfers.

After the grand welcome, cars, bikes, phones, flats, and companions are sorted out. Then they are ready to head out in the field. Some only travel a few miles to their areas, some an hour or two, and some go all the way down to Wales. But by that evening, they will all be having their first experience finding people to teach, or actually teaching people who are already investigating the church.

All of them... those arriving and those departing.... amaze us with their faith, dedication, and especially with their willingness to sacrifice this time in their lives to share the Gospel with the people of England and Wales.